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Life On and Off an Acreage

In-sights into moving from an Acreage back to Town, plus a few things I find of interest.

Two things that horses are scared about:

1. Things that move

2. Things that don't move

September 24, 2012

A Walk by the River

The Athabasca river flows through the Town of Whitecourt. It is a rugged river coming off the Columbia Icefield. When in full flood, it piles up trees, logs and bushes to amazing heights.

The banks can be treacherous due to undermining. That's how all the trees get caught up in the current. There are all sorts of back eddies, some shallow and some deep. The sandbar has been swept clean this spring.

My oldest son and I, a few years back, tossed a canoe in and did 25 miles in 3 hours with very little paddling. The trick is to stay in the blue water and out of the riffles, unless you want to get out and push. Being right off the ice cube, the river is very cold and should you go in, hypothermia is a real possibility. Having said that, if the river is low, in late summer, it is possible to swim in it, but not for long.

Along the shore today, various birds are starting to flock together in anticipation of the southerly migration.